Good Samaritan Killed Rushing To Help At Car Crash Scene At Shopping Center

WEST NYACK, NY — A man who rushed to help strangers in trouble lost his own life in the process.

On Tuesday, around 1:20 a.m., the Clarkstown Police Department responded to a reported single-vehicle crash on Palisades Center Drive, opposite Home Depot, in West Nyack.

Officers at the scene found that a green Toyota Camry that had left the roadway while traveling south on Palisades Center Drive. The vehicle struck a guardrail, crashed through a fence, and overturned onto its driver's side.

Both occupants of the vehicle had exited prior to officers' arrival. The passenger, a 32-year-old man, told police that he had been able to free himself from the vehicle and that the 18-year-old female driver was no longer inside. He also reported that a passing driver had stopped to help, but was unsure of his location.

Officers heard the driver calling for help from below a retaining wall approximately 30 to 40 feet beneath the roadway in an area of dense vegetation. Responding officers accessed the area from below the embankment and located the injured driver, along with an unresponsive would-be rescuer.

Officers, along with members of the West Nyack Fire Department, safely extricated the driver from the embankment.

The good Samaritan, a 43-year-old man from Maybrook, was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators believe he approached the edge of the retaining wall after hearing the driver calling for help and accidentally fell down the embankment. His identity is being withheld pending notification of his family.

"The Clarkstown Police Department extends its deepest condolences to his family and loved ones during this difficult time," the department said in a statement.

The driver and passenger of the Toyota Camry were treated and taken by Rockland Paramedic Services and Nyack Community Ambulance Corps to hospitals for evaluation.

Following the preliminary investigation, the driver, an 18-year-old woman from Carmel, was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated. She was released on an appearance ticket and is scheduled to appear in the Town of Clarkstown Justice Court at a future date.

The Clarkstown Police Department's Accident Investigation Unit continues to investigate the incident. Anyone who witnessed the incident or has information that may help investigators is being asked to contact the Clarkstown Police Department at 845-639-5800.